Timeless Vows: Five Tales of Love (Timeless Tales Book 4)

by Ruth A. Casie

  Anger overtook Davina as she finished cleaning Drew’s face and nose. Too bad she didn’t have some steel wool to scrape the blood off with. “He should have taken one of those fine young ladies up on their offer of a warm home with children. Not every woman can provide that. Take me, for example. As a doctor, I work a lot and I’m seldom at home.”

  “Your work is important.” Agnes patted Davina on the arm. “I’m sure there’s a man out there who appreciates that.”

  Davina gave Drew a significant look. She shouldn’t have bothered. Drew wasn’t interested in her.

  “Thank you, but I’m comfortable with my life as it is.” She looked Drew in the eyes and said with complete sincerity, “You really shouldn’t wait too long to get married to one of those pretty, nice girls chasing you. You deserve a good life.”

  Drew’s eyes widened.

  Davina’s stomach dropped like a stone. He was going to know she still…cared. What had she just said?

  Drew watched the color drain from Davina’s face and knew she was about to bolt. She’d done it before. He’d watched her run out of a room and he hadn’t seen her again for six long years.

  Not this time.

  This time, she wasn’t getting away that easily. She was going to have to convince him she didn’t still have feelings for him, and from her last couple of sentences, he had doubts she could do that.

  She cared. He might have to remind her how much, but she cared.

  Before she could take off running, he wrapped his hand around one of her wrists. “Thank you for your concern.” He wanted to sound serious, but his plugged nose made him sound like he had the world’s worst cold.

  She pulled at her arm and he let her go. Slowly.

  Davina jerked her gaze away from his and smiled at Agnes and Albert, then began backing away. She glanced at him, but didn’t stop moving. “If the bleeding doesn’t stop in another fifteen minutes, let me know and I’ll take another look.” She turned and hurried away.

  After she was out of sight, Agnes and Albert both looked at Drew. “You’re an idiot if you let that woman get away from you again,” Agnes said.

  Surprise had him staring at the older couple. “How did you know?”

  “We’re old, not dumb,” Albert explained. “You have no idea the chase this gal led me on before we got married.”

  Agnes gave her husband a saucy grin. “It was worth every second.”

  “That it was, my darlin’.” Albert patted his wife on the butt. “The good ones always take work,” he told Drew. “If she’s the right one, she’ll appreciate the effort.”

  “Grovel, you mean?”

  “That’s only part of it,” Albert cautioned with a shake of a finger. “You’ve also got to show her how much you love her. It’s the little things, son, that make the most difference.”

  “The little things aren’t really all that little to a woman,” Agnes added. “Every morning Albert brings me a cup of coffee before I get out of bed. He’s been doing it every day since the day we got married.”

  “When our kids came along,” Albert said with a faraway look on his face, “I started doing the dishes every evening after dinner to give Agnes a break. It turned out to have an unexpected consequence.”

  A blush brought a rosy glow to Agnes’s face. “Ain’t nothing sexier than a man doing dishes.”

  There was a mental image he didn’t need in his head.

  “I think I’ve got it.” Drew got to his feet. “I have some plans to make.”

  Albert winked. “Go get her, Sheriff.”

  “I will.” Drew strode over to the registration desk. First, he needed a room at the inn.

  The ice had melted in Davina’s Long Island Iced Tea. She took a sip and made a face at the watered-down flavor. She didn’t know why she was still here, at the inn’s bar surrounded by drunk women, watching those same women consume free drink after free drink.

  “Okay, who died?” Viv asked her with narrowed eyes as she sat on the bar stool next to Davina. Viv’s friend Margot sat on the stool on the other side. “You look so depressed you’re bringing me down with you.”

  Davina sighed. “I ran into Drew today.”

  “Oh yeah, Aunt Agnes said you helped him with a bloody nose. That surprised me. I thought you said you wouldn’t help him unless he was at death’s door.”

  Davina sipped a little bit more of her watered-down drink. “Yeah, well, I’m the one who gave him the bloody nose.”

  Viv and Margot stared at her for a second, then burst out laughing.

  “Really?” Viv asked.

  Davina nodded. “I opened my hotel room door and there he was, asking if we could talk. I got so mad I punched him in the face.”

  Viv laughed hard enough that she fell off her bar stool. It took her a minute to get up off the floor and make it back to her seat, but once she did she ordered a round of shots. “This we have to celebrate. I’d have paid money to see it.”

  “He was surprised.” She’d surprised herself, too.

  “I’ll bet.”

  The bartender placed the shots in front of them and Viv, Margot, and Davina tossed them back.

  “You know, he really hasn’t dated. He tried, but his heart was never in it.” Viv looked at her with an arched eyebrow. “I wonder where it was?” Before Davina could come up with a response, Viv continued with a far easier question. “Then what happened?”

  “He went out to the lobby where he ran into Gabe’s great-aunt and great-uncle.”

  “Agnes and Albert?” Viv asked. “They’re everywhere. The worst gossips in the family.”

  “She sent for me to take a look at his nose. When I got there, two women were arguing about who was going to take him home to clean him up and wash his clothes. Agnes didn’t seem too thrilled about that idea and said a few choice words to them.” Davina smiled at the memory of the expressions on the two women’s faces. “Honestly, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.”

  “Agnes has a sharp tongue,” Viv agreed. “I think that calls for another shot.” She signaled for another round then said to Davina, “Not sure why she asked for you right off. She’s a retired nurse.”

  “She is?” Agnes had looked completely clueless. “She didn’t say anything or try to help Drew.” Gossip? Ha. Instigator was more like it.

  The bartender delivered the drinks and they tossed them back.

  Viv carried on with her assessment of her soon-to-be great-aunt, “She likes to play matchmaker. Ten bucks says she saw an opportunity to put you and Drew together and took it.”

  “He told her about me?” It came out as a squeak, but she couldn’t help it. She’d almost choked on her drink.

  “Nope. Drew never told anyone who the long-lost love of his life is. Just that he lost her because he was stupid. Agnes is good at that shit.”

  Davina snorted. “At least he got the stupid part right.”

  Viv giggled. “That calls for another shot.”

  Davina lost count of the shots after four. There might have been two more after that, or maybe it was three. She didn’t care. She was drunk and damned if it didn’t feel good to not care about anything.

  Drew could play with all the housewives he wanted. No skin off her nose.

  Nose. Davina snorted at the thought. She’d punched his hard enough to make it bleed and she was proud of herself.

  He’d had that coming for a long time.

  “Okay,” she said to Viv and abandoning her bar stool. “I’m going to bed, though after all these shots, I may be going to the bathroom first.”

  “Are you okay to get to your room?” Viv asked, blinking at her as if a few extra flaps of her eyelashes might clear up her vision.

  Davina smiled brightly. “Yup.” And trundled off.

  She managed to get her hotel room door open after a few tries, but stopped after a step or two inside. Whose flowers were those?

  She checked the door number. Yep, this was her room. She glanced at the huge bouquet of roses
on the dresser. Where the hell had those come from?

  She walked over unsteadily and managed to grab the card without knocking the whole thing over.

  Thanks, Drew.

  Thanks? For what? A nosebleed? What did he want next time, black eyes?

  Next to the flowers was a box of fancy chocolates.

  What the hell was wrong with him that he gave her flowers and chocolates after she assaulted him?

  Idiot.

  Davina grabbed the flowers and chocolates and weaved her way out her door and to the hotel room Drew had written on the card. She was not going to have these stupid things in her room where she could see them and eventually feel guilty enough to thank him for them.

  Damn him. She already felt guilty.

  She found his room and knocked hard on the door.

  It opened to reveal a woman in purple lingerie. One of the two who had fought over Drew in the lobby. Tammy?

  “Oh, it’s you,” the woman said, losing her simpering, seductive expression. “What do you want?”

  “I’m surprised to see you. Didn’t Agnes send you home?” Davina asked with smirk.

  Tammy smiled in the fake plastic way of a used-car salesman. “Sheriff Cavendish invited me over.”

  Davina glanced over the bimbo’s shoulder, but didn’t see Drew anywhere.

  Bullshit.

  Then again…

  “These must belong to you, then.” Davina held out the box of chocolates. As soon as Tammy took them, Davina tossed the entire contents of the vase—flowers, water, and all—in the other woman’s face. “And these. Enjoy.”

  Tammy screeched, but Davina turned and left before she laughed in the other woman’s face. Besides, there was nothing for her in Drew’s room except more disappointment and another woman waiting for him to return.

  Where the hell was he, anyway?

  Davina paused in the hallway, then decided on a slightly different direction. Back to the inn’s bar.

  It was busy with locals, wedding guests, and, yes, the groom’s party with Drew in the middle of the pack, a beer bottle dangling from his fingers. How dare the rat look relaxed and happy?

  She stomped over to him, shoving a couple of guys out of the way when they tried to offer her a drink. “There you are,” she said.

  He looked up and smiled like he really was happy to see her. “Hey, Davina, would you like to join us?”

  Chat, join—he was all about the casual, the surface. She needed a man who could handle the dark parts of her, as well as the light. “Join you…you jerk. No, thanks.”

  His smile fizzled out and he frowned. “What did I do now?”

  She thrust a finger under his nose and shook it at him. “How dare you give one woman flowers and candy, then invite a different woman for a private party in your hotel room? Have you no shame?”

  His body jerked like she’d shocked him. “Say what?”

  “You heard me, you two-timing jack…jack…o’-lantern.”

  “I think you mean jackass,” Gabe corrected helpfully.

  “Yeah.” Davina pointed at Gabe. “That.”

  “Drew sent you flowers?” Gabe asked with great interest.

  Drew covered his face with one hand. “Here we go.”

  “Yeah, but…” Davina wobbled for a moment before she smiled brightly and rediscovered her equilibrium. “I gave them to the woman in his room.”

  His hand dropped into his lap. “There’s a woman in my room?”

  “Yup. Tossed the flowers and water all over her face and fancy negligee.” She snickered. “You’d better get back there before there’s a noise complaint from your neighbors. She was screaming pretty loud when I left.”

  “I didn’t invite anyone to my room,” Drew protested.

  “The card you left with the flowers sure seemed like an invite to me,” Davina said.

  Drew’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times before he sputtered, “Yeah, but I didn’t invite anyone else.”

  “How did she get into your room, then?”

  “I don’t know.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Again with the oh, poor me, I don’t know how that naked woman got into my room or shower.”

  “That was six years ago.” Drew threw his hands in the air. “And I didn’t invite that one, either.”

  “You’re such a creek.” Davina had to blink to keep the world from spinning.

  “I think you mean creep,” Gabe offered in between chuckles.

  “Yeah. Creep.” The room really was going around fast. “I should have known better than to believe a hot guy like you was really interested in me for more than sex two or three times a day.”

  Gabe’s mouth dropped open. “Two or three…every day?”

  Davina sniffed. “It wasn’t my fault I had so much studying to do. I was trying to get into medical school.”

  Gabe turned an envious expression on Drew. “Dude, teach me.”

  Drew groaned. “Someone fucking shoot me.”

  His words seemed to come from a long distance away. The light in the room dimmed, turning all the people in the bar into indistinct shadows and ghosts.

  Gravity stopped working about the same time all the lights went out.

  Drew managed to catch Davina before her head hit the side of the table.

  Next to him, Gabe lost his battle with keeping his laughter in. “Wow, I have never seen her this drunk before.”

  “Me neither.” He’d have to watch her closely to make sure she didn’t throw up while she was still out.

  Gabe punched him on the shoulder. “You dog. Every day? Holy shit, man, what the hell kind of pills were you popping back in college and why didn’t you share?”

  “I didn’t need any damn pills. Davina is fucking gorgeous. I couldn’t keep my hands off her.” He still couldn’t.

  “So what’s with the women getting into your room?”

  “I don’t know.” He looked down into the face of the woman he’d never been able to get out of his system or his heart. “But I’m going to find out.” He stood and hoisted her over his shoulder. “Catch you later.”

  Gabe shook his head. “I can’t wait to hear how this goes down. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  Drew got halfway back to his room before Davina woke up.

  “Hey,” she said in a slurred voice. “What’s going on?”

  Drew decided answering her would be more dangerous than keeping his mouth shut, at least until they got to his room.

  “Drew, put me down.”

  He didn’t answer, just hurried along a little faster.

  “I’d know your ass anywhere.”

  Keeping his mouth closed wasn’t helping. “Huh, we’ll discuss that later, after we’ve had a little chat.”

  “Put me down, you Neanderthal.”

  He kept his tone even. “Nope, you’re drunk.”

  It was a full two seconds before she said, “But I’m not driving. You can’t arrest me for drunk walking.”

  “I’m not arresting you. I’m trying to figure out what the hell is going on, and until I do,” he lowered his voice into what his deputies called his all-business tone, “you’re not leaving my sight.”

  She was silent for all of two seconds. “I demand private time to pee.”

  God save him from drunk women. “You are going to hate yourself tomorrow morning.”

  “Ha, I already do.” She sniffed again. Was she crying? Before he could ask, she ordered in an imperious tone, “Now put me down.”

  Since they’d arrived at his room, and the door was open, he did as he was told. Once Davina was on her feet he slowly let her shoulders go.

  She stumbled into the room and almost tripped over the housekeeping lady who was picking up the last of the flowers on the carpet. The inn had hired a couple of temp workers from a couple towns over to help with all the extra people and events over the weekend.

  “Well,” Drew said, “at least you got the part about throwing the flowers on someone right.”

&nb
sp; “I didn’t throw them on her,” Davina said, pointing at the housekeeper.

  “I’m sorry, sir,” the lady said. “Your wife is in the shower.”

  “Wife?” Davina asked.

  “Wife?” Drew repeated. “I’m not married.”

  “That’s who she said she was,” the housekeeper said, horrified. “Earlier when I let her in. She said she’d forgotten her room key.”

  Davina looked down her nose at him. “You have a big problem with women.”

  “Only one?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I want to go back to my room.”

  Drew couldn’t think of a better idea. “Let’s go, twinkle toes.”

  “You can stay in your own room.”

  “No, thanks. It comes with an accessory I really don’t want.”

  “Ha. Funny.” She started off down the hall.

  Drew had to keep her from falling on her face only twice.

  When they reached her room, she tried unsuccessfully to get the key into the lock on the door several times before Drew took it from her and opened it.

  “Thanks,” she told him. “You can go now.”

  As if. “You don’t look so good. I think I’ll stay to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, waving her hands at him. “All I need to do is throw up a few times, and I’ll be awesome.”

  “When are you planning on doing that?” She was almost green enough to pass for a frog.

  “Is now too soon?” she asked, covering her mouth with one hand.

  Drew grabbed her and rushed her into the bathroom just in time for her to puke in the toilet. He gave her a few minutes to retch without him hovering over her, then wet a washcloth with warm water and wiped her face with it. “Better?”

  “Not really,” she said as she laid her head on the side of the porcelain bowl. “Tired.”

  “You going to throw up some more?”

  “No…” Her voice tapered off into a sigh.

  Drew picked her up and laid her on the bed. He took off her shoes, her pants, and top and tucked her under the covers. He tried really hard not to look, but couldn’t help notice that she’d only gotten more gorgeous since he’d last seen her. There was a maturity to her muscle tone that was sexy in a way that caught him by the testicles and didn’t let go.